Album Review: No Bragging Rights - 'Illuminator'

If you are not familiar with No Bragging Rights (and I doubt most people are) they are a 5 piece melodic hardcore band hailing from California, After releasing 2 EP’s and a full length, five years after their first they have realised their second full length album ‘Illuminator’.

Opening song ‘Beautiful and Spineless’ starts off strong and hits you hard, with the aggressive roar of lead vocalist Mike Perez with lines such as ‘keep this music that we love from scum like you’ being shouted at you with force. It seems like this band has moved forward and tried something different with each release they have made, the difference with this album is the screamo presence, although evident in their previous releases on selected song, this album is filled with it, no song goes un touched without some screaming thrown in there somewhere, seeing them sampling all kinds of genres all through this new release.

‘6th and Main’ is much like its predecessor, with its heavy double kick drum opening and heard hitting screams, this song seems to me, worlds away from some of their songs on previous full length ‘Because You Believe In Something Beyond Them’, Followed not far behind is ‘Cease Fire’ a short instrumental interlude that shows the softer instrumental side of the band.

Each song that follows seems to have much the same formula, starts off and builds up with some aggressive roaring then moving on to the melodic choruses that the band is well known for and then again onto the screamo backed with speedy kick drums, making all the songs on the record sound very similar. I feel that if I describe each song individually, each description would be pretty much the same, at some point towards the middle, it just becomes one very very long song.

Although not all is bad, I feel the stand out song on this record is ‘The Prospects’ starting off with its eerie muffled guitars and then building up towards the smooth vocals of the first verse. As well as following song ‘Blind Faith’ due to its super catchy chorus. However it did take me a couple listens to appreciate them, with both songs being placed towards the end of the album it does seem to come unnoticed, at first they do just bled into the crowd.

There is most likely a reason why many people probably haven’t heard much about this band, although I feel they have great potential they seem to fall a little bit short, each song starts off promising with intentions to be a great song but I am left disappointed. I continued through the album almost hoping that they would live up to the potential shown in the beginning of the record but it doesn’t seem to happen.

1. Beautiful and Spineless

2. 6th and Main

3. Weeding Out The Weak

4. Cease Fire

5. Illuminator

6. Empire Disarray

7. The Prospect

8. Blind Faith

9. Recognition

10. And They Threatened Us With Fire

11. Death Of An Era